[dustcartkev]

can anyone tell me if woodshavings are any good to throw on my allotment, as i get a fair bit. 
many thanks,   

[JayG]

I suspect that shavings (as distinct from chippings) would blow around too much - if you don't think that would be a problem they could be used as a moisture-retaining mulch around plants such as raspberries.

They won't "rob" the soil of nitrogen if placed on top of it, but will certainly "borrow" soil nitrogen if dug in, and will still take a long time to rot down, again depending on how bulky they are.

[dustcartkev]

I suspect that shavings (as distinct from chippings) would blow around too much - if you don't think that would be a problem they could be used as a moisture-retaining mulch around plants such as raspberries.

They won't "rob" the soil of nitrogen if placed on top of it, but will certainly "borrow" soil nitrogen if dug in, and will still take a long time to rot down, again depending on how bulky they are.

thanks it is shavings from cutting with my chainsaw, so do you think it would be ok to dig them in, thanks

[JayG]

I'm guessing your chainsaw produces sawdust rather than shavings ( ) in which case I would use it as a mulch (as I have on my blueberries, as it tends to pack down and get quite claggy which stops it blowing around.)

Otherwise, I'm not a fan of digging such woody material directly into the ground as it's hard to gauge the effect it will have on the soil nitrogen, and for how long.

[AlaninCarlisle]

A story about sawdust:

Two years ago, we had a horse that had an ailment that made it pee a lot. As we use sawdust for bedding, we soon had a huge heap of pee-soaked sawdust mixed in with the usual droppings. I left it to rot for about a year and then used it as a mulch on stuff like rhubarb. I managed to kill the healthiest rhubarb patch in my garden that had been producing huge healthy stalks for at least ten years. I put this down to nitrogen depletion.

Lesson learned was that muck with too much sawdust needs several years of rotting before risking it on the garden

[Tenhens]

I tend to leave wood shavings alone. OH used to use shavings for small animal - rabbit, guinea pig etc  bedding  but now we use another product made from rape seed that is easily compostable. As mentioned the rotting down and nitrogen issue makes things more difficult.

[digga666]

Would shavings get processed faster if you put them in a wormery or would they just get not eaten by the worms?

[sunshineband]

Would shavings get processed faster if you put them in a wormery or would they just get not eaten by the worms?

I don't think worms would eat wood shavings tbh

[solway cropper]

I shred a lot of prunings and thinnings and they are very similar to chainsaw waste. In the past I've used them as a mulch around shrubs but now I mix them 50/50 with grass clippings and a good sprinkle of chicken manure, bag them up and leave them to rot down. In 12-18 months it produces quite a decent compost though I've no idea what the nutrient value might be.

[ilan]

They will not do any harm if used in small quantities. depends on what sort of soil you have , but I would bag them up and mix with grass cuttings for the compost heap or put them in a bean trench and layer with earth Its a bit of a mis understanding to say they will rob the soil of nitrogen.

[dustcartkev]

They will not do any harm if used in small quantities. depends on what sort of soil you have , but I would bag them up and mix with grass cuttings for the compost heap or put them in a bean trench and layer with earth Its a bit of a mis understanding to say they will rob the soil of nitrogen.

sound good compost heap it is, thanks for advice